Our Best in State series spotlights the top cannabis dispensaries, companies, products, and activities in the largest cannabis markets in 2018.

There are too many amazing cannabis companies in Nevada, which is a good problem to have if you’re compiling a list like this. The trouble is in attempting to narrow it down. It’s a well-known secret that Nevada is the market to watch for cannabis trends. Nevada has a fiercely independent and discerning spirit.

Looking through our history, many, from the mafia to the dirtiest of corporations have tried to conquer Nevada; and only the brands considered the best of the best have managed to remain standing in the Silver State.

Newly opened Planet 13 is a dispensary, yes. But in true Las Vegas style, it is a larger-than-life experience and beyond comparison to anything else on Earth. Don’t let your opinion of Las Vegas influence you before you go. Planet 13 is a unique concept unto itself, boldly presenting its own vision of what purchasing and interacting with cannabis can be.

The building itself sets out to be a landmark, visible from a panorama of 55,000 hotel rooms, it lit up at night with an electronic graffiti wall and interactive art exhibit that patrons can control. The visual delights continue on the inside, with an animated LED floor, stocked with koi fish that swim away as you walk on them, and a trip-inducing ceiling that takes more than a cursory glance to figure out. As you’re gazing up at the mystery that unfolds, a light show featuring dancing orbs controlled through drone technology move in sync with the music pumped through the enue-quality sound system.

Sound enthralling? Its intentional. Planet 13 wants you there, even if you don’t want to purchase cannabis. Hang out, relax, and someday consume your cannabis on-site when future development is realized after legislation allows.

Perusing the stalls at your local farmers market is a fantastic way to find great deals directly from the folks that grew the goods. That’s why the Underground at Acres offers you the best deals for your cannabis budget.

Accessed through a faux smugglers tunnel located in Acres Cannabis, Nevadan cannabis vendors at Underground are allowed to set up their finest selection on either tables or in the permanent car trunks installed along the walls. The colorful graffiti and street art create a one-of-a-kind interior. Open only on Friday and Saturday, act fast if you want the best bargains. Look for deep cuts on eighths or ounces of elite flower, pre-rolls, and concentrates.

Sierra Well could be called the “Biggest Little Dispensary in the World,” with unique features on par with the mega dispensaries found in southern Nevada, blended with the trusted orthodoxy inherent in the patient-based culture they’ve always embraced.

The focus here is on portraying cannabis in its best light, whether through thoughtfully placed topical products on shelves that reach the ceiling, engaging layouts of extracts to browse, stocked-to-the-brim edibles refrigerators, elegant arrangements of flowers … There is no doubt as to who Sierra Well considers the star of the show at their dispensary. Cannabis is the leading lady and clients are invited to become her adoring fans.

The epitome of cannabis is right here in Nevada, and you’ll find it at Aether Gardens. Founders Bronwen and Robert, who fell in love and moved to Nevada after pioneering and advocating as caregivers in Detroit, built a virtual temple dedicated to the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis.

It starts with their cultivation standards, which are carefully applied and directed by their master grower. Proper training and a focus on compliance are of utmost importance at Aether, which currently grows indoor hydro, but will expand to include an outdoor, fully automated greenhouse early next year.

Aether’s on-site tissue culture lab embodies their commitment to research and analysis of superior cannabis genetics. The collection includes a bank of 120 strains and over 300 seeds preserved for future testing and consistent release of quality products. Their new analytic equipment, acquired for the purposes of vetting and evaluating their entire process throughout every stage of production, positions Aether as a deeply trusted source of information and education for the entire industry.

Tucked near Tahoe and Black Rock City, you’ll find a cannabis producer adamant about every strain they grow being raised in an environment tailored to its specific needs. Optimal conditions have been tested for and evaluated at Cannavative to make sure the resulting plant is exhibiting its best characteristics. The cultivation staff applies an expert small-batch, artisanal mind-set to produce the highest yields of exemplary tasting buds.

Besides elite strains like Limoncello, Velvet Cake and Shortbread Cookies that they’ve already dialed to perfection, Grow Master Andrew Baldwin plans to release a few cross breeds from Limoncello—hopefully for production in 2019.

Find Cannavative’s clear and clean smelling flower throughout the state of Nevada and Oregon, and check out their infused pre-roll: The Motivator, which uses the brand’s premium flower treated with their prized honeycomb concentrate.

The French would call the assumption Binske operates under as l’art pour l’art. Translated as art for the sake of art, each gourmet product his cannabis company conceives of is presented as pure form. The purity of their philosophy translates to their concentrates, making them superior to the point of nearly transcending the category into a class unto themselves.

Rich collages created by UK artist Martin O’Neill accompany each product, and are meant as agnostic representations created to evoke wonder and inner-directed contemplation. The impression the image, and more specifically the medicine, created within is entirely dependent on you.

Starting with cookies, the focus of Evergreen Organix has been on specifics, from precise dosing, hand-crafted production methods, and ideal ingredients. Since 2015, every made-from-scratch product they’ve developed overwhelms consumers with optimum deliciousness.

Their goodies prompt memories of the ones Grandma used to make for their simple quality and unadulterated nature. Evergreen Organix knows that true luxury doesn’t need to be complicated or overdone, and that the best things in life—especially in food—appear effortless.

Whispered about among cannabis client specialists at nearly every Nevada dispensary I have visited, Canna Hemp Relief felt like a magic potion that was perpetually out of my reach. I’d ask about the cannabis-based topical products that were available, inquire about which ones they would recommend, and in the midst of their list, a pause. “Oh, but Canna Hemp Relief”… And I’d lose whomever it was in a private reverie. Turns out they had just sold the last one in stock, and I’d be left wishing I could find some. What was the big?

When I finally laid hands on it, I understood the hype. Canna Hemp CBD Relief Cream relieves pain through a cool, rejuvenating sensation, and the light formula means your skin just soaks it up. Inflammation above and below the dermis is calmed and soothed with cannabis derived terpenes and organic botanical oils like rosemary and eucalyptus.

Utilizing a drug delivery method that bypasses the intestines and lungs, BASK+ Extended CBD Wellness Cream, packs a potent 400mg punch, distributing cannabidiol throughout your body via the circulatory system. This translates to an overall feeling of well-being, as opposed to a more localized effect. Great for patients treating systemic inflammatory diseases like arthritis and auto-immune disorders like lupus, transdermal administration of cannabidiol is an emerging method of consumption.

Stacey Mulvey, Leafly's Nevada Product Specialist, is a Las Vegas-based cannabis entrepreneur and advocate, besides being a yoga and Pilates teacher. She founded Marijuasana, which teaches the integration of cannabis with mindful movement and creative practices, and has been featured in Newsweek, Forbes, and The Boston Globe.

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360dunk

I’ve been going to nearly all of the dispensaries in Las Vegas since they opened in 2015…..Planet 13 is brand new and large, but not worthy of being singled out…..no more so than Nuwu, The Source, Exhale, Reef, Essence, and others.

Best thing about our inventory, though, is the extensive testing done to make sure we ingest mold and pesticide-free products. Can’t say the same for all the other states. Colorado dispensaries, for example, sell some edibles that are laced with garbage ingredients that are not good for you.